Portsmouth's hopes of avoiding a second consecutive relegation this season already seem distant due to one simple problem: with only 13 outfield senior players the manager, Steve Cotterill, lacks any real method of varying his tactics both from game to game, and during a match when needing to do so.

This was all too clear on Saturday against Coventry City. Cotterill could name an XI featuring Aaron Mokoena, Michael Brown, Ibrahima Sonko, David Nugent, Hayden Mullins, Richard Hughes and Tommy Smith. But when his one-dimensional tactic of instructing the midfield to spray diagonals out to Smith on the right was worked out by Aidy Boothroyd's side, Cotterill's options appeared nil.

Maybe the former Notts County boss should have switched his formation and approach during the game, which Portsmouth lost 2-0 to twin Freddy Eastwood strikes. But with a back four featuring only one specialist – Sonko – and a midfield that included the dire John Utaka and Smith, a striker by trade, out of position Cotterill was virtually hamstrung.

There were no answers on the bench. The remaining four players in Cotterill's squad are reserve keeper Liam O'Brien (who is 18), Nadir Ciftci (18), Marlon Pack (19) and Peter Gregory (18). Cotterill spoke of his hopes of landing two loans this week, each full-backs, while he and Portsmouth fans waits to see if Balram Chainrai, or any interested party, finally buys the club to take it out of administration and lift the player registration embargo.

Rob Lloyd, the property tycoon, says his unidentified client is also still interested in purchasing the club but as this is Portsmouth there are bound to be further complications.

Following Saturday's defeat Cotterill was asked to compare the situation at Fratton Park with the one he found at Notts County where he took over 18 games from the end of last season.

He said: "It does make Notts County look straightforward." County's shenanigans last season, remember, included the walk-outs of Sol Campbell and Sven-Goran Eriksson with the latter confessing to the Guardian that he felt conned and had, at one point, been in negotiations to help run North Korea's national team.

County, though, had the one thing Portsmouth do not: a full complement of first-team personnel. Cotterill has already conceded he may not have a total of 18 players to call on at any point this season. Portsmouth may not go down this year, but it will surely be a close-run thing.